BETA PHOTO: Looking down from the top of 'Curse of the Pharaoh...
Description
This climb is perhaps 10 meters left of the obvious hanging chimney of 'Tomb of the Pharaoh.' The right-leaning crack climbs up onto a junky pedestal and then through a cruxy pull on to the wall- mostly due to poor rock. Continue to the top of the wall with some poor gear for the first 15 meters. After 32 meters, you arrive up top and belay from hand-to-fist sized trad gear.
We found an old WW-II era stamped pin in the route about 8 meters up that led us to believe that this route had a prior ascent, many long years ago. Lack of publication and the amount of junk where you might like to put feet begs the question whether it was aided or freed; either seems possible.
Largely it's irrelevant. It's not a very good route and this publication is more to let people know what it is--not to encourage people to bother with it.
Nonetheless, if you do you'll need to get off when done. Downclimb about 200' and to the North face to find a notch and bail anchor as for 'Half Man, Half Beast.'
Location
On the South face of the Sphinx, there are two very prominent right-leaning cracks that go from the ground to the summit, probably a little left (west) of the middle of the face. The right crack is Tomb of Pharaoh (a fun chimney with a gymnastic start) and the left is Curse of the Pharaoh.
The Sphinx
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